BANGALORE: A recently launched mobile application 'Caranatic Raga', developed by, a graduate student in at the is gaining popularity in the Android app market. Carnatic Raga provides reference to about 968 ragas used in and lets you search for a raga from a single note.The app provides the Arohanam (ascending scale) and Avarohanam (descending scale) of each raga. In the past one year, there has been rise in the number of genre-specific mobile applications, most of them free for download, helping traditional music aficionado’s stay connected to rare raga’s and their favourite performances.“Carnatic music system is very rich. It is important to preserve our cultural heritage and spread knowledge through technology.
Even though there are so many books and Internet resources available for Carnatic Raga reference, I have seen people making phone calls to carnatic experts to identify a particular raga. This is because there is no single, simple interface available to search Ragas,” says Shivakumar who believes mobile apps can get a better shape if the development is driven by its users.Interestingly, the Carnatic Raga app is being downloaded from all over the world - India with 48.5% followed by United States with 30% downloads.
Many of us have grown up in India, where we were exposed to Indian classical music in one form or another. This app is a feeble attempt to introduce Carnatic music in a gentle way; in a style presumably we all can understand. We want to be able to rekindle your interest and help you discover some of the 'method' and grammar of Carnatic music. Beginners' Lesson 1 - Sarali varisai. Sarali varisai are the fundamental sequences. They allow you to get a feel for the melody and the rhythm. The sequences follow a logical order - ascending and descending, up to the 7th varisai. The last 3 exercises help you move smoothly up and down the scale. Concentrate on getting the notes right, then.
“Last month (December) saw 100% increase over the average monthly downloads for this application. Since the launch in April 2011, the app has been downloaded 3090 times”, Sivakumar said.